Fanging the Shadows
by DoubtlessLemons
Summary: Ichorid the undead warlock and his apprentice, Yawgmoth the blood elf shadow priest, take a run through Shadowfang keep. This is my first Fanfiction in a long time, be nice. Btw, the names and such are the same as my actual WoW characters. Enjoy.


Ichorid wiped his mouth of his latest meal. The disemboweled form before him barely looked like the human it once was. His apprentice grimaced upon seeing the mess. The undead sighed at the young blood elf and turned to him. The elf's pale skin was covered in ragged and worn clothing. His soft brown hair that went down his back was matted with dirt and grime from not bathing in days. The usual bright green glow in his eyes was faded and tired. These living kinds fatigue far too easily, Ichorid thought to himself.

"Listen Yawgmoth, you chose to follow me around. I would expect you to at least become accustomed to my habits." He turned and began walking. "This isn't your shinning city of gems where magical servants pluck your nose hairs for you." Yawgmoth walked behind him silently. "If you want to remain a perfect little priest, go back to your order. Otherwise, walk with me into the shadows and expect the grotesque." Yawgmoth nodded obediently. He knew that becoming a shadow priest was hard, but perhaps his parents had been right. Maybe making a warlock his master was not the best idea. He at least wanted some decent clothing. The elf thought he looked like a beggar.

The two of them walked on without a word after that. Yawgmoth admired the Forsaken for his sheer power and ability. His blood red robes were proof of that enough. They were apparently from Outland, where demons spring from the ground like water. Not that demons were a threat to him. One felhunter walked at his heels right now, gladly obeying every command. However, one thing Ichorid had was something most Forsaken shared, bad social skills. He mercilessly demands and gives nothing back. Perhaps when one dies, he loses all but the urge to kill.

An hour or so later, the sun was setting and the duo had reached a small town. A sign over the broken gateway read: The Sepulcher. The town was dominated by a graveyard and crypt. Behind that where three small buildings, Yawgmoth thought they all looked unusable. On the other hand, Forsaken had a way of making anything hospitable enough for them. Instead of going to the buildings, Ichorid approached the crypt and promptly descended into the ground. The blood elf trailed along. Although corpses lay within alcoves in the walls, there were a few living souls below. Two Tauren stood talking to each other in a corner, an undead was writing behind a desk while another preformed alchemy, and an Orc appeared to be meditating off to the side. Yawgmoth scanned around for a bathroom. Then he realized that undead wouldn't need a bathroom, and that they were inside of a crypt anyway. Ichorid seemed to sense this and spoke to him over his shoulder.

"The house on the far right of town is an inn. It should have what you're looking for." He dug coins out of his pocket. Tossing them to his apprentice he said, "While you're at it, rent us a room." After watching the elf eagerly nod and ascend, Ichorid walked up to the scribe.

"You are late. That is strange for you." The scribe spoke without lifting his gaze from the paper work. He spoke again before Ichorid could, "However I had forgotten to take in your extra baggage into my calculations. Anyway, you have a letter from the UDC." The forsaken handed Ichorid an envelope. Using his jagged boney finger as a letter opener, he opened it and read the message inside.

_The Undercity Death Council hereby declares _Archmage Arugal_ and his _Shadowfang Keep_ to be eradicated. This duty is given, after long consideration of the council, to _Ichorid the Relentless_ and any other(s) that may accompany him. Any and all artifacts or items found within may be kept. The council asks only for the head of _Arugal_. Of course once this assignment is complete, there will be a satisfactory reward._

The Undercity Death Council

Ichorid crumpled up the letter and threw to the side. He hated his full title. Besides, a rogue would be a far better choice then he for this task. Turning to the scribe he said, "I have a human's head to claim. Know anyone useful?" The nearby alchemist formed her lips into a crude smile.

"They've sent you after Arugal, haven't they?" She threw her head back and laughed. "Well, I would take that girl over there." She pointed to one of the Tauren. "Something of a debt she wants to repay to that mage." Ichorid had been hoping for more Forsaken assistance, but decided to talk to the cow anyway.

Yawgmoth found the living conditions to be atrocious, but was content with a warm bath. He had heated several buckets of water and now scrubbed his body and washed his hair. His mentor mocked him for trying to be so clean all the time, but this was one thing he would not give up. Even if he was not going to be the best shadow priest, he was going to look good. That idea was imbedded in his mind. After drying off, the elf donned a light robe the color of gray. He had bought it with the extra money from Ichorid, figuring it was the least he could do for fashion. He walked up the stairs and into the room he had rented. Inside, he found Ichorid talking with a female Tauren.

"All squeaky clean I see," commented Ichorid. He then motioned to the Tauren. "She will be aiding us in our next endeavor." She stood up and bowed slightly, her head almost touched the ceiling.

"My name is Melody Earthhoof. A pleasure to meet you." She smiled confidently. Yawgmoth grit his teeth and replied, "Likewise". He then sat down on the farthest bed from her and began combing his hair. Ichorid stood up and spoke to both of them.

"Our mission is to kill the Archmage of Shadowfang Keep. We are going to enter his castle carefully. He has hounds and human souls wandering all around. This will require tact and that you listen to every one of my commands. I do not want the entire Keep charging at us. I will explain my plan in further detail when we get there. For now, sleep. We leave at dawn."

Noon broke over a quiet forest. There were no birds, nor beasts, not even the glancing breeze. The only noise came from an elf and an undead walking over dry leaves. The trees were all dead in appearance, the life force being sucked away because of Arugal's magic. Occasionally, Ichorid would signal for them to stop, and Arugal's creations would stalk by. These beings were half man and half wolf, and navigated the forest without a sound. Their noses eagerly searched for any trespassers to eat. Thanks to the Forsaken, the duo was clouded in a smell of death that even these creatures avoided.

Sensing that his elven companion would have to eat soon, Ichorid began scaling a tree to its upper branches. Pagkin, the warlock's imp, was left below to warn them incase anyone, or anything, came near. The little demon chuckled as Yawgmoth attempted to climb the tree. He grappled at the sides and tried inching up, but fell without success. After several failures, Ichorid's hand appeared in the elf's face. He hesitantly grabbed the bony hand and arm. With a quick jerk, Yawgmoth was lifted up into the tree. He was about to thank his mentor, but almost threw up instead. Ichorid was in the process of reattaching his left arm after using it to help him up. Ichorid rotated his arm a few times to make sure it fit right, then snapped his fingers. A small vortex of swirling darkness opened. He reached inside and moved his arm around. After a bit, he pulled it back out and the vortex disappeared. Also, he held a bag in his hand now. Opening it up, a sandwich and two bottles were pulled out.

"Take the food and a bottle. We will rest here until Melody makes contact," Ichorid spoke quietly. Yawgmoth took the food with a slightly dazed look on his face. Catching this, Ichorid sighed. "You lived in the city of floating objects and you've never seen someone use the Spare Space?" Yawgmoth shook his head. The undead rolled his would-be eyes and said, "I'll teach it to you later. It's quite handy, just a little pocket dimension to store items you would rather not carry."

The two of them sat for almost half an hour. Pagkin would send up warnings when Arugal's creatures came near, which happened twice. Each time, they stopped moving and ceased all activity. After a few tense minutes, the creature would pass and they return to normal. Yawgmoth started to get bored. He day dreamed of being back in Silvermoon City, surrounded by beautiful women, though not as beautiful as him. They fed him grapes from a golden platter. Now he was walking up to the leaders of his priestly order. A shadow aura surrounded him as he showed off his awesome power.

"Find anything interesting?" Ichorid's words cut the day dream short. Yawgmoth realized that his mentor was not looking at him but rather to a higher branch. The sight startled the elf so badly he almost fell out of the tree. A leonine creature with sharp horns protruding from its head sat with its forepaws crossed and hind legs hanging off the tree limb. What surprised him even more was that it nodded, as if to answer Ichorid's question. Then with elegancy and agility it leaped to the ground. Ichorid followed suit and climbed down. Once his feet were firmly on the ground, he heard the elf fall behind him. He sighed and watched as the loin flashed quickly and became the Tauren he wanted to talk with.

"Wait," Yawgmoth was stumbling to his feet. "That thing was her… she's the thing in the… how didn't I hear her…"

Ichorid sighed. "She is a druid. Animal transformations are her specialty. In cat form, she is quite adept at stealth movement. Didn't you wonder why I sent her as reconnaissance?" He explained to his apprentice. Yawgmoth made an 'O' with his mouth and accepted it all in. Pagkin wandered around the group to keep watch. Melody explained how the Keep was perched on top of hill, making it difficult to access anywhere but the bridge. She had formulated an elaborate plan and laid it out, with the occasional interruption from Ichorid. Once the plans were finalized, they set out for Shadowfang Keep's main gates.

A lowly guard hound paced back and forth. It was taught to be obedient and eat anything that does not smell of his master. However, it was bored of its existence; it wanted something new and fresh to happen. In one way or another, it got its wish. The gate door came crashing down upon the hound, crushing it instantly. A large bear walked over it without noticing the creature below. Melody transformed back into her natural form. Yawgmoth and Ichorid walked through the threshold. The mentor was teaching his apprentice as they proceeded.

"One of things shadow energy can do is effect the targets mind. Observe." Rounding a corner, the warlock spotted one of Arugal's creatures coming towards them. With a flick of his wrist, he cast a spell on the wolfish thing. It immediately grabbed itself in agony and flailed about. It tried to focus through the pain and charged at Ichorid. In response, Ichorid clutched the thing's head tightly and scorched it with flame. The limp body fell to the group. Melody changed into a bear again and went ahead.

"As you can see, simply one such curse is not enough. In groups and combinations, however, you can create a disastrous affect." Ichorid walked on past the sizzling skull. Yawgmoth put his back against the wall to avoid the dead thing. Ichorid went on to say that the priest shadow spells would work similarly. Yawgmoth tried it out on the next wolf and was pleased. The wolf's mind was slightly tortured, but the real trick was that its movements were slowed.

"We are fortunate that these beings are not intelligent enough to alert others," Melody returned again to her Tauren form and spoke. Yawgmoth deliberately refused to make eye contact with the large cow-person. "However, the dining room and beyond has ghosts more than willing to fight and run to Arugal." Psh, Yawgmoth didn't care what she had to say. How could she know any of this stuff to begin with? No one has ever come to Shadowfang Keep before and lived.

Despite that, her information proved true as they peered through the kitchen windows into the dining hall. The hall had a seemingly endless ceiling. The walls of decaying stone were draped with ragged tapestries depicting various kings of a past long gone. At the table, ghosts of servants and warriors sat pretending to eat a meal that was never to be had. Yawgmoth gazed at the sight before him. He wondered how getting past them could be possible. He searched for any other alternative then to fight with all of the ghosts. Then he saw it, outside one of the windows was a nearby balcony. Close enough for them to jump. He told Ichorid his idea.

"So we run like hell and jump for it. It looks like Arugal's study is right up there too."

"The pink one makes a good suggestion," Melody said. "Almost recovers for falling out of that tree." Yawgmoth glared at her and she glared back. Ichorid sighed and said, "No, running through there would only alert Arugal of our presence. Let me handle these pests, and then we can be on our way." From his window perch, the warlock began to weave his shadow magic. He then shot out a small red seed into every ghost in the room. With a snap of his fingers, the first one he implanted ignited. Like watching high explosive dominos, each seed set off worked another seed. In seconds, not a single soul was alive, or rather undead. The elf and Tauren both stared wide-eyed at the destruction in front of them. Ichorid wiped his hands and proceeded to walk over the re-dead vespers toward the window. His companions regained themselves and followed after. Ichorid stood in the window where stained glass was once. The gap to the balcony was too far for him to jump, unless he got some help…

Melody held Ichorid like cannon ball ready to be thrown. With a little running start and a lot of effort, she tossed the undead out the window. Using the momentum, he launched himself from the Tauren's hands and sailed over a seemingly endless drop. The receiving balcony took Ichorid with all the grace of a bowling ball striking a brick wall. Yawgmoth used some healing spells to aid in his mentor's recovery.

"I guess you made it," the elf said. "The important thing is: you're alive." A glare from the undead made him corrected himself. "As alive as any living dead would be, that is… I… yeah." Melody repeated the same process with Yawgmoth, and being none to gentle about it.

"Holy Sunwell!" He landed in much the same way Ichorid had, but did not take into account that Forsaken feel a lot less pain than most anything else. Again, he used healing spells to recover. It was then he realized that Melody had no way across. Just before he could taunt her, an elegant leap brought her easily across in her leonine state. Yawgmoth glared at her as she stayed in cat form and swaggered ahead of them.

Ichorid sighed. "Anyway, let us continue." The passage way led to a spiral staircase made of ancient stone. Crags and critters were seen all over the walls and steps. Ichorid took the first step upward and led them into the darkness. His hand burst into flame in order to light their path. Slowly the group ascended. The path seemed endless and went on and on. After half an hour, Melody became her natural form again. Yawgmoth was growing tired of the silence, but knew better than to attempt conversation with his mentor. So, over his shoulder he spoke to Melody.

"So… why is it you want Arugal dead?"

Melody turned her head to the side and refused to give an answer. Yawgmoth shrugged his shoulders and considered it another wasted stab at talking.

"He killed my father… and most of my tribe."

Her sudden words startled Yawgmoth. As their meaning sunk in, he began to feel sorry for her.

"They were part of the first of my kind to adventure in the Eastern Kingdoms," she continued. "Lady Sylvanas herself, had appointed them to explore the depths of Silverpine Forest. After several weeks without contact from my tribe, she sent of a search party. They found few survivors. They told tales of a mage who experimented with their lives and created monstrous beasts from their brethren. That human is the cause of much pain, and the world is better off without him."

"Indeed, it is reckless magi like him that brought the Legion back." Ichorid's input brought Yawgmoth back to reality. He felt for his companion, knowing she had such a loss. However, something seemed wrong.

"Ichorid, I don't believe this tower can possibly be so high."

"I've noticed that too. I continually left marks on the walls, but they aren't repeating. Still, I believe we are under some sort of enchantment." He gently placed his flaming hand on the outside wall of the staircase. "Be ready, this is where the real fight starts." Without further warning, Ichorid made the stone explode in a burst of fire. Instead of debris and smoke, everything rippled around them. The walls vanished and the darkness let up. The trio found themselves in a round room with shelves crammed with books along its edges. Only one exit was available to them, and above floated a human in dark intricate robes.

"What took you so long, Sovadus? It seemed you would never break my illusion." The Archmage Arugal threw back his head and laughed. Melody and Yawgmoth looked at each other in confusion. Ichorid took a step forward, then whispered to his comrades.

"Make a run for the door, I will be there shortly."

"Did he call you Sovadus?"

"Yes."

"Why, what does it mean?"

"I believe it to be my living name. Someone called me that in the past."

"Where is that person now?"

"Dead. Just like Arugal soon. Now, run!"

Ichorid charged energy in his hands, preparing for an attack. Melody and Yawgmoth knew this was not their fight and booked it for the door. The Tauren was easily faster than the elf and proceeded to reach the exit first. However, just in front of her appeared the archmage. He grabbed Melody by the neck and lifted her off the ground with one hand, laughing. Melody was surprised by the human's strength while struggling to breath. Without a solid plan, Yawgmoth ran up to Arugal and used the spell he learned earlier. A blue beam shot forth from the priest and headed toward his foe. Not expecting this, Arugal was hit full force and let go of Melody to hold his head in pain. At that moment, a bolt of shadows scored a direct hit in Arugal's chest, sending him reeling backwards. Melody and Yawgmoth took this chance and ran out the exit. It lead them to another set of stairs, in which they followed. Arugal stood up and saw them fleeing. He turned to Ichorid and waved his hand. Instantly a bubble the size of the room surrounded the undead, and countess man-beasts and wolves appeared. With a smile, the archmage turned to chase after the others.

Ichorid stood in the center of the room, surrounded on all sides. The hideous creatures snarled and circled around him. He crouched down slowly and worked his mind for a plan. Just as the beasts were on the edge of striking, Ichorid threw himself into a sprint. He chose no particular direction, but he needed movement. In front of him came a wave of beasts, and he was prepared.

"Howl of Terror!" Ichorid threw his head back and howled out loud. The beasts immediately around him became disoriented and ran away, or in circles. Taking advantage of this, he cast several seeds into as many as he could, while still conserving his mana. Again he sprinted, but this time he used his affliction abilities. Minds were boiling, skin was decaying, fur was burning, but best of all life was being drained. This life drained helped to restore Ichorid, because even though he was skillfully offensive, he still took damage. Wolves bit at his bones and man-beasts clawed at his remaining skin. His foes were weakened, but still had more fight than the warlock had mana. Standing in the middle of the room again, they all rushed toward the warlock. Ichorid snapped his fingers. The seeds implanted earlier exploded, sending showers of fel magic all over the room. Everything single beast fell to ground, defeated. He smiled as best as any undead could and thought about how to remove the bubble. Much to his dismay, the room refilled with similar creatures all ready to fight. Ichorid gazed across them taking it all in. Then he sighed.

Above him, Melody and Yawgmoth pounded the steps until they came to a clearing. They reached the top of the tower. It was surrounded by open space with a long drop around. Yawgmoth stared in confusion.

"Why would Ichorid send us up here?"

"Maybe he didn't think Arugal would chase after us," Melody said.

"Then poor Sovadus thought wrong." Archmage Arugal, Lord of Shadowfang Keep, walked out of the stairwell and confronted them. They backed up as far as possible. Arugal wasted no time and held both hands in the air, summoning arcane energies. Melody prepared her defense and Yawgmoth sorted through his spells in his mind. Knowing nothing he had could stop the archmage, he did the only thing he could. Yawgmoth prayed for a miricale. As if an answer, a meteorite flaming green plummeted into the tower. All them stared in disbelief, expect Yawgmoth, who was praising his ancestors. A large hole in the middle of the tower suddenly glowed green.

"What the hell is going on?" Arugal's question was shortly answered. A demon in the crude shape of man, but five times the size, composed of individual rocks held together by emerald flames climbed out of the hole. On his back, rode Ichorid. Without waiting for the shock to go over, the Infernal demon grabbed hold of Arugal. The human's flesh burned in the fiery hand.

"No, stop this!" he shouted at Ichorid. "I knew your living side. I can tell you of your past. Don't kill me! Don't you want to know who you where?"

Ichorid looked him dead in the eyes.

"No." The Infernal grabbed Arugal with both hands and squeezed with all his might. Screams of pain and horror erupted into the sky. In seconds, the demon was gone. The fiery one, and the human one. All that was left behind seemed to be a pile of robes. Ichorid reached in and pulled out the human's skull. Yawgmoth walked over and picked up the once robes of Arugal.

"Hey, these could fit me."


End file.
